Electric scooter vs car - a scary crash test

Author: RTL.be|Update: 12.08.2019 10:04

Electric scooters are increasingly popular in many big cities. Even though they achieve relatively high speeds, users often do not wear a helmet.

A French insurance company organised the scary crash test that you can watch in the above video. The producers hoped that the hair-raising footage would educate users and convince them of wearing a helmet when cruising around.

In the video, a small car crashes into a dummy at 50 km/h - with shocking results: the impact sees the scooter folded in two, the handlebar broken and sends the dummy flying through the air before it violently hits the pavement 17 meters away.

An American tourist who watched the video explained that "you are fined in the US if you don't wear a helmet. It's crucial for me."

Many European countries do not (yet) have similar laws. Under Belgium's law for instance, users of electric scooters are considered pedestrians if they do not exceed walking pace. If they go faster, they can longer ride on the sidewalk and use, like cyclists, the street. The law, however, does not require them to wear special safety equipment.

Karine Genoe from the Belgian institute for road safety argues that a new law should be introduced to make helmets mandatory. As she explains, the majority of scooter accidents involve head injuries.